ATLANTA, Georgia — Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis testified Thursday that she and the special prosecutor she hired to oversee the Trump case butted heads on gender norms while they dated.
Willis — who raised two kids, ran a private practice, was a judge, and is now a district attorney in one of the largest cities in America — said she is proud to be financially independent and didn’t let Nathan Wade pay her way.
“Mr. Wade is used to women that, as he told me one time, the only thing a woman can do for him is make him a sandwich,” Willis testified.
Willis testified during the contentious Thursday hearing that Wade’s attitude on issues like that was a pain point for them while dating.
Thursday’s hearing was focused on whether Willis has a conflict of interest in the election interference case against Donald Trump and his allies.
An attorney for Mike Roman, a Trump codefendant, has argued Willis was financially benefiting from her relationship with Wade, the lawyer she hired as a special prosecutor in the case.
Both Wade and Willis testified Thursday about their romantic relationship, which they said ended last summer.
The details of Willis’ relationship with Wade, whether it was an affair, and who paid for their exotic vacations have taken center stage in Trump’s election interference case.
Attorneys for Trump and his codefendants have argued that the trips Wade put on his credit card count as financial benefits and should disqualify Willis from the case. But Wade and Willis both testified Thursday that she paid him back in cash or by picking up other bills on their outings.
Willis took the stand with a combative attitude Thursday, snapping back at the defense lawyers questioning her and vacillating between frequent quips to full-on shouting at times.
“You’re confused. You think I’m on trial,” Willis said at one point. “These people are on trial for trying to steal an election in 2020. I’m not on trial, no matter how hard you try to put me on trial.”
During a line of questioning about the end of Willis and Wade’s relationship, the Fulton County DA offered a glimpse into the former couple’s dynamic.
Willis said she and Wade would have “brutal arguments” about the fact that she was his equal.
“I don’t need anything from a man. A man is not a plan. A man is a companion,” Willis said on the stand.
She testified that there was “always” tension in their relationship, which is why she gave him money for their trips.
“I don’t need anybody to foot my bills,” Willis said. “The only man who has ever foot my bills completely is my daddy.”
Wade testified this week that he and his ex had a marriage that was broken in 2015 when she had an affair, and they had agreed to divorce after their kids moved out. He said he and Willis met at a conference in 2019 but didn’t become intimate until the fall of 2022 after she had already hired him to lead the Trump prosecution.
However, Robin Bryant Yeartie, a former friend and colleague of Willis, testified Thursday that Willis and Wade’s relationship began in 2019.
They both denied Yeartie’s allegations.
Proceedings in the hearing are set to resume Friday morning.
